Work-clamping means



E. c'zAsAvAN-r BTM.

wonx-cLAuPING MEANS- Filed Aug. 2o. 1942 Sept. 2l, 1943.

lFigfi WM5/VTM@ SFQALM4 QM Patented Sept. 21, 1943 Ernest Casavant, New York, N. Y., and Harry E.

Osborne, Shillington, and Harry L. Meek,` Lincoln, Pa., assignors to .United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a co1- poration of New `lersey Application August 20, 1942,

. 5 claims.-

This invention relates to work-clamping means for lasting machines and is herein Aillustrated as applied to a lasting machine of the type illustrated in United States Letters Patent No.. 2,045,595, granted June 30, 1936 on an application filed in the names of A. E. C. Hall et al.

In lasting certain types of shoes such, for eX- arnple, as shoes of the prewelt type, it is particularly desirable that the shoe be accurately located in a predetermined lengthwise position in the lasting machine in order to insure a high degree of uniformity inthe operation ofthe 1asting'wipers. Inorder to achieve this result, prewelt lasting machines have been provided with an end-embracing band having a rigid central member lwhich serves to locate the band positivelyjon its supporting member and also provides a positive means for positioning the shoe lengthwise thereof relatively to the lasting wipers.

Such an end-embracing band is illustrated in an application for United NStates Letters Patent Serial No; 451,889 filed July 22, 1942 in the name of Andrew Eppler, Jr.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an end-embracing band for such a machine in which there will be no sharp division line between the area acted on by the rigid central member and the adjacent areas acted on by the backing member of the heel band, which, as i1- lustrated'in the application above referred to,

is a yielding resilient metal band or plate.

With the above object in View, the .present inserm No. 455,456

Fig. 3 is a sectional view illustrating the 'band shown `in Fig. 1l in conjunction with parts of a lasting machine, such as that iilustrated'vin the Eppler application hereinbefore referred to, and the rear .portion of a prewelt 'upper on a last; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged ragmental view taken in section on the line IV-IV o Fig. 1.

The illustrated heel band in its general construction is substantially the-same as one form of heel band illustrated and described inthe Eppler applicationy above referred to. As illustrated in Fig. Lthe heel band comprises an lupper-engaging member or lining IIJ which is preferably made of grain leather with the grain face exposed and a backing member I2 of resilient metal, the end portions of which are secured to the end portions of the lining by rivets I4.

vention provides, in an end-embracing band for i lasting machines having a rigid central member, a yielding backing member, and a work-engaging member carried by said backing member, a pressure-equalizing member positioned between the work-engaging member on the one hand and said rigid central member and said backing member on the other hand. `As herein illustrated, said pressure-equalizing ymember is a resilient plate the side portions of which are positioned between the upper portion of said Work-engaging member and resilient fingers forming the upper portion of the backing plate. The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating the preferred embodiment thereof and .pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, v

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a heel band embodying the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view similar to Fig. l, with a portion of the backing plate broken away to show the pressure-equalizing member;

The upper portion of the rplate I2 has formed thereon a plurality oi'upwardly extending iingers I6 which are curved inwardly to insure the `engagement of the upper portion of the band with that portion of the upper adjacent to its everlasting margin. Secured to the central portion of the plate I2 is a rigid member comprising a plate I8 the upper-facing surface of which has a curvature lieightwise of the upper complemental to the curvature of thebackseam portion of the upper and a plate 2t secured to the plate I8, said plate 20 being dove-tailed in cross section to provide a locking connection to a heel band supporting crosshead 22 (Fig. 3). The upper portion of the plate I2 adjacent to the rigid member I8 is cut away so that the resilient iingers I6 do not extend around the central portion of the band but terminate at opposite sides of the rigid member I8, and the upper portion o said member I8 occupies the same 4position relativelyl to the lining member I0 at the central portion of the heel band as the iingers I6 occupy along the side portions of said band.

By reason of the fact that the member I8 is rigid while the adjacent fingers I6 are resilient, there is a tendency for the central portion of the band adjacent to the rigid member I8 to press harder against the upper than the adjacent side portions of the band, leaving an impression in the back-seam portion of the upper which, would be visible in the finished shoe. In order to equalize the pressure of the central portion and adjacent side portions of the band against the shoe upper, and thus to avoid the formation of an impression in the upper by the operation of the band, the illustrated band is provided with a relatively narrow resilient plate 24 (Fig. 2) which is subjacent to the upper edge face of said lining 'member. While the plate 24 may be riveted or otherwise securely fastened to the lining member or to the rigid member I8, if so desired, it seems preferable to mount the plate freely between the lining member and the backing member I2 Without restricting it in any way by securing it to any part of the heel band. In the operation of the heel band, the plate 24 will be impressed into the outer surface of the lining member I0, as

shown in Fig. 4, thus forming a shallow recess in the lining member within which the plate 24 Will normally be retained by the iingers I6 without danger of dislocation.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. In a lasting machine, an end-embracing band comprising a rigid central member, a yielding backing member carried by said central member,`a work-engaging member carried by said backing member, and a pressure-equalizing member positioned between the work-engaging member on the one hand and said rigid central member and said yielding backing member on the other hand.

2. In a lasting machine, an end-embracing band comprising a rigid central member, a flexible backing member carried by said rigid central member, said backing member including a plurality of upwardly extending resilient fingers, a work-engaging member carried by said backing member, and a resilient plate positioned between the work-engaging member on the one hand and .member on the one hand and said rigid central said rigid central member and the ngers of said backing member on the other hand for equalizing the pressure of the band against the shoe.

3. In a lasting machine, an end-embracing band comprising a rigid central member, a yielding backing member carried by said central member, a work-engaging member carried by said backing member, and a pressure-equalizing member freely mounted between the work-engaging band comprising a rigid central member, abacking member carried by said rigid central member and arranged to extend from said central member about opposite sides of an end portion of a shoe, said backing member having a plurality of upwardly extending resilient fingers certain of which are adjacent to said rigid central member, and a resilient plate interposed between the work-engaging member and the other parts of the band, the inner surface of said plate being in contact with the work-engaging member while its outer surface is in contact with the rigid central member and with said resilient fingers adjacent to and at opposite sides of said central member. .l

ERNEST CASAVANT.

HARRY E. OSBORNE.

HARRY L. MECK. 

